History of St. Luke’s School of Nursing
St. Luke’s Hospital was the fourth hospital in the country to operate a school for nurses. Today St. Luke’s School of Nursing is the nation’s oldest hospital-based, diploma school in continuous operation.
The school became a reality in 1884 when Dr. William Estes appointed Miss M. J. Merritt from Bellevue Hospital, New York, as principal of the nursing school. Nine students formed the first class.
The reputation of the school flourished during the 1920s and 30s. During World War II, St. Luke’s School of Nursing was approved for the Cadet Nurse Corps program. In 1962, the school was awarded full accreditation from the National League for Nursing. Beginning in 1969, college credits were added to the curriculum.
Today, these college credits in science and liberal arts are prerequisites to entering the nursing program. The School of Nursing is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and was fully reaccredited in 1997 by the National League for Nursing, Accrediting Commission.
For additional information, see the following contact information:
State Board of Nursing
P.O. Box 2649
Harrisburg , PA 17105-2649
Phone: 717-783-7142
Fax: 717-783-0822
Email: ST-NURSE@state.pa.us
Website: www.dos.state.pa.us/nurse
For information regarding the accreditation status of the St. Luke’s School of Nursing, please visit the NLNAC website and go to “NLNAC Accredited Nursing Programs” or call or write:
The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc.
61 Broadway – 33rd Floor
New York , NY 10006
Phone: 800-669-1656 (Ext. 153) or 212-363-5555
Fax: 212-812-0390
Website: www.nlnac.org
St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network is a nationally honored integrated health care network and is comprised of tertiary and acute care, non-profit hospitals; more than 1,200 physicians; and numerous other related health organizations. The network provides direct services in Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Schuylkill, upper Bucks, eastern Berks, upper Montgomery and Monroe counties in Pennsylvania and serves a population base of more than 1,500,000 persons. The network includes nearly 800 licensed beds, 76 medical specialties, more than 6,000+ employees, more than 42,700 annual patient admissions and 1,000 volunteers. Other hospitals in the network are St. Luke’s Hospital – Allentown Campus, St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital and St. Luke’s Miners Memorial Hospital. The network also includes: Visiting Nurse Association of St. Luke’s, Ambulatory Surgery Center in Northampton County, more than 50 owned physician practices and various outpatient facilities. Ample opportunities for nursing student clinical practice are provided throughout the network.